Text Size

SCOOP -- Chicago Tribune lead story, “Quietly, U.S. arms African troops: Eager to deny al-Qaida a haven in Somalia, Washington sends equipment, trains fighters in large proxy war,” by David S. Cloud (also in L.A. Times with online headline, “U.S. is the driving force behind the fighting in Somalia”): “Nearly 20 years after U.S. Army Rangers suffered a bloody defeat in Somalia, … Washington is once again heavily engaged in the chaotic country. Only this time, African troops are doing the fighting and dying. … The U.S. has been quietly equipping and training thousands of African soldiers to wage a widening proxy war against the Shabab, the Al Qaeda ally that has imposed a harsh form of Islamic rule on southern Somalia and sparked alarm in Washington as foreign militants join its ranks.

“Officially, the troops are under the auspices of the African Union. But in truth, according to interviews by U.S. and African officials and senior military officers and budget documents, the 15,000-strong force pulled from five African countries is largely a creation of the State Department and Pentagon, trained and supplied by the U.S. government and guided by dozens of retired foreign military personnel hired through private contractors.

“Like CIA drone strikes in Pakistan and Somalia, and the overthrow of Moammar Kadafi's regime in Libya, the U.S. backing of African troops in Somalia is an example of how, after a decade of ground combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Obama administration is trying to achieve U.S. military goals with minimal risk of American deaths and scant public debate. The U.S. can underwrite the war in Somalia for a relative pittance — the cost over four years has been less than $700 million, a tenth of what the military spends in Afghanistan in a month — but the price tag is growing. … The U.S. is supplying the African forces with surveillance drones, ammunition, small arms, armored personnel carriers, night-vision goggles, communications gear, medical equipment and other sophisticated aid and training.” http://lat.ms/NOCUGh

BULLETIN: “Obama aide tells Israel of Iran attack plan – paper” – Reuters/Jerusalem: “President Obama's national security adviser has briefed Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a U.S. contingency plan to attack Iran should diplomacy fail to curb its nuclear programme, an Israeli newspaper reported on Sunday. The Haaretz newspaper said that the U.S. adviser - Thomas Donilon - had described the plan in talks with Netanyahu earlier this month. … Haaretz said the secret briefing was the most significant effort by high-level U.S. officials who had visited Israel in the past month, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to try to dissuade Israel from launching its own military strike on Iran. …

“Quoting a senior U.S. official it said spoke on condition of anonymity, Haaretz said Donilon had told Netanyahu the Pentagon was planning for a possible decision to attack Iran's nuclear sites, and had shown him some of the plans. In their talks, the same official said Donilon had also detailed the U.S. military's ability to penetrate nuclear facilities buried deep underground, and had said that such contingency plans were being drawn up in case of a possible deadlock in diplomacy with Iran.”

--BREAKING: “Romney would back strike against Iran,” by AP’s Kasie Hunt in Jerusalem: “A senior adviser says Mitt Romney would back an Israeli military strike against Iran aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear capability. Ahead of a Sunday speech in Jerusalem, Romney foreign policy adviser Dan Senor tells reporters that ‘if Israel has to take action on its own’ to prevent Iran from being able to make the materials that could be used for a bomb, Romney ‘would respect that decision.’ That's a more aggressive posture than Romney has previously taken. In Sunday's speech, he plans to tell Israelis and watching Americans that he and America ‘will not look away’ from Iran if he is president.”

INSIDE THE STRATEGY -- “Mitt Romney eyes gains among Jewish voters,” by Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns: “Even though Republicans haven’t cracked 25 percent of the Jewish vote since 1988, GOP backers of Mitt Romney — who arrives in Israel Saturday — are mounting what likely will be the most aggressive effort yet in dollars and cents to woo one of Ohio and Florida’s most pivotal constituencies. And Democrats, alarmed by the drumbeat of news about how much money Jewish casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is donating to the Republican cause, are responding by forming their own operation to spend millions defending President Barack Obama on Israel. …

“Even before Romney’s weekend visit — a trip highlighted by meetings with top officials in Jerusalem and a speech reasserting his commitment to the Jewish state, both aimed at domestic political consumption — Obama sought to disrupt the presumptive GOP nominee’s carefully planned courtship. ‘I have made it a top priority for my administration to deepen cooperation with Israel across the whole spectrum of security issues,’ the president said Friday in an Oval Office ceremony convened for him to sign into law a measure expanding U.S. financial aid for Israel’s defense and bolstering cooperation between the militaries of both nations. …

“The Republican Jewish Coalition has committed to spending more than $6 million on an ad campaign that seeks to tap in to ‘buyer’s remorse’ among Jews who supported Obama in 2008. And GOP sources say ultimately it could be significantly more than that thanks to Adelson, whose top concern is the security of Israel and who has told associates that he’s willing to keep tapping his multibillion dollar fortune to help Republicans this year. With no caps on how much he can give to outside groups, the Las Vegas gambling tycoon is free to bankroll an unprecedented campaign for the RJC — and any other group he wants to seed.

“Further, with concern about a nuclear Iran rising, some of the most Israel-focused Jewish voters, ‘AIPAC Jews,’ may be looking for a harder-line approach from a White House that has done little to mask its frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ‘What underlies a lot of the angst on the part of the American Jewish community is this administration’s treatment of Israel,’ said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. ‘It’s almost unfathomable how the relationship started, with President Obama going to Cairo and speaking toward the Arab world in open and welcoming terms but demanding Israel stop construction in Jerusalem.’ … [In 2008,] Obama … claimed 78 percent of the Jewish vote. “ http://politi.co/OuVrWZ

TOP STORY: NEW KING OF THE POOL -- ESPN’s Wayne Drehs: “For four years, Ryan Lochte had put in the work. He … stopped going to fast-food restaurants and did everything he could to help his body prepare to beat Michael Phelps in swimming's most grueling race, the 400-meter individual medley. He would lie in bed or sit on the leather couch in his house with his docile Doberman, Carter, and picture what the opening night of the 2012 Olympics would look like. There he would be, standing atop the podium, the national anthem bouncing off the curved ceiling in the London Aquatics Centre, a giant slab of gold hanging from his neck. …

“But when his dreams finally came true here Saturday night after Lochte dominated the field with the second-fastest 400 IM ever, the celebration was hardly what he had envisioned. … [N]either of the men standing on his left or right was named Michael Phelps. On this night, the greatest swimmer who ever lived finished fourth, more than 4 seconds behind Lochte and 0.34 seconds off the medal podium. Instead of standing next to Phelps, Lochte was anchored by Brazil's Thiago Pereira and 17-year-old Kosuke Hagino of Japan. … Lochte has been beating Phelps since the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships. …

“For the first time since 2000, [Phelps] entered an Olympic final and didn't win a medal. It was a streak that had stretched a mind-boggling 13 events, and yet it came to an end Saturday night. ‘It's just a crappy race,’ he said. ‘It's frustrating. That's all I can say. It's pretty upsetting.’”

--“Phelps proves human after all,” by AP Sports Columnist Tim Dahlberg in London: “The crowd at the Olympic Aquatics Centre arrived late, as if they were trying to stall off the inevitable. Anyone with a prized ticket to the first big showdown of the London Games had to know Michael Phelps was in trouble earlier in the day when he barely qualified for the final of the event he owns two gold medals in. That was a shocker, but what happened Saturday night in the Olympic pool was simply mystifying. …

“Ryan Lochte, [t]he surfer dude from Florida[,] dominated the 400-meter individual medley from the opening stroke, making an early case for himself as the face of swimming in these games while thrashing a guy he never used to be able to beat. … [Phelps was u]ntouchable in Beijing. Oh, so human in London. This wasn't just a loss, it was a blowout. By the time Phelps finally touched the wall in fourth place, Lochte had been resting there for more than 4 seconds — an eternity in swimming.”

** A message from RESULTS Educational Fund: ENDING AIDS IS POSSIBLE. RESULTS is leading the effort to mobilize support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has already made an enormous difference in this historic fight. We can end the big 3- RESULTS will get us there. www.results.org/issues/big3/ **

SPOTTED: Friends raising a pint to Justin Dews of Obama for America Research at Clark Street Ale House in Chicago last night, and wishing him well as he heads back to Harvard – this time, for law school.

WEEKEND WEDDING: Perry Bacon Jr. of NBC News’ The Grio and Ann Blaylock, a Justice Department trial attorney, were married yesterday in Custer, S.D., in the shadow of the Black Hills, a stone's throw from Mount Rushmore. They were joined by a smattering of presidential campaign veterans who battled cancelled and delayed flights to make it out to Buffalo country. The wedding party entered the reception to Beyonce's “Crazy in Love.” Guests dined on almond panko-encrusted walleye, prime rib with burgundy au jus, chicken breast, and a dessert of wedding cake and Dakota s’mores.

The reception was held in an open-air pavilion in Custer State Park. Perry and Ann danced to Beyonce's version of "At Last." Guests – including WaPo's Nia-Malika Henderson, The Nation/MSNBC 's Ari Melber, Tammy Sun (FCC), Jamie Radice (Import/Export), Kristin Lee (Microsoft), AP's Jennifer Agiesta and Kevin Griffis (Podesta Group) -- departed with decorative mason jars filled with Nebraska popcorn seeds and Kentucky Bourbon sugar. The dance floor cleared out as guests rushed to see a passing buffalo in the dark.

OLYMPIC RING – “Tons of Live Coverage, if You Can See It,” by N.Y. Times’ Richard Sandomir: “Each time I tried to play a live video, it froze or started and stopped. Similar problems were reported, anecdotally, on Twitter and in my e-mails, and focused on Ryan Lochte's gold medal-winning victory in the men's 400-meter individual medley. NBC officials said that the video problems are not widespread … Rick Cordella, vice president and general manager of NBC Sports Digital Media, said from London that extensive troubleshooting so far suggests that the technical problems might be with the bandwidth provided by cable operators, or users' computers or devices. Cordella said that … he hoped that the problems were resolved on Sunday. … NBC's pre-Olympic marketing [did not caution people] that their computers or devices might not be up to playing the video or that their broadband service might not have the bandwidth to allow for an uninterrupted viewing experience.” http://nyti.ms/O7YtCT

--NBC release: “NBC’s coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony from Olympic Stadium in London registered the best overnight rating (Winter or Summer) for a non-U.S. Olympic Opening Ceremony ever. The Opening Ceremony on NBC earned a 23.0 overnight rating and a 40 share (8-Midnight. ET/PT) … [T]he 23.0/40 is seven percent higher than the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympics (21.5/37), 10 percent higher than the tabloid-fueled Lillehammer Games (21.0/34), and 15 percent higher than the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Vancouver Games (20.0/33).”

--The (London) Sunday Mail cover, “BRITAIN’S GOT OLYMPIC FEVER: TV record smashed as 20m still watching after midnight -- Even losing our first Gold can’t diminish the euphoria”: “Producer “Danny Boyle’s star-studded [Opening Ceremony], which featured surprise appearances by the Queen, Daniel Craig, Kenneth Branagh and JK Rowling, recorded much higher audiences than previous Olympic opening ceremonies and easily outperformed the recent Diamond Jubilee celebrations and Euro 2012 football games. There had been fears that Boyle’s insistence on a start time of 9pm might deter some viewers. …

“82 per cent of the available television audience saw Friday’s show, which ran for over three-and-a-half hours … The show’s average viewing figure of 23 million is the highest recorded since 1998 when a slightly larger audience tuned in for ITV’s coverage of the England v Argentina World Cup clash. Viewing figures reached a peak just before 9.50pm when 26.9 million enjoyed a spectacular celebration of the [National Health Service] and a Chariots Of Fire spoof featuring Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean.” http://bit.ly/MdwzqD

** A message from RESULTS Educational Fund: ENDING AIDS IS POSSIBLE. And RESULTS is leading the way by supporting solutions that work, like early AIDS treatment. Research has shown that early AIDS treatment reduces the occurrence of tuberculosis, the leading killer of people living with HIV/AIDS, by 84%. With continued bipartisan support, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria can support countries to step up early detection and treatment and help put an end to AIDS and tuberculosis. 1 action – millions of lives saved. Congress, let's get RESULTS. www.results.org/issues/big3/

Readers' Comments (1)

Wox. Where did it say that? What interests are you speaking of? How do you define sedition? In what way has Romney conformed to that definition.

Wox...your lack of party affiliation suggests...uuummm....that you have no party. That being the case, whom do you support for president? Ron Paul? Fats Domino (ooops..he's dead)? Propose another alternative that's less 'seditious' than the one we currently have. Unless your policy is the overthrow of Israel...and I'm pretty sure ours isn't at present...then you must consider Obama's actions seditious (Depending on 'your' definition). Obama dissed Netanyahu with the hopes to force both Israel and the Palestinians back to the table. It had the opposite effect for both parties. Now...it's a hot potato in the P's lap as the Palestinian leadership is waiting for the US to delivery Israel to them. Nice going.